TransAsia planning more Osaka flights on ‘Kano’ interest

By Amy Su / Staff reporter

Fri, Mar 07, 2014 - Page 13

TransAsia Airways Corp (復興航空) yesterday announced plans to increase its number of flights to Osaka, Japan, beginning on April 10, eyeing strong demand from passengers.

The carrier is adding its second daily flight from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Kansai International Airport, with the total number of flights increasing to 14 per week.

In addition, Taiwanese blockbuster movie Kano, released last month, may benefit the carrier’s sales through higher passenger traffic to Osaka, with travel agency Legend Travel Service Ltd (龍騰旅行社) having launched a movie-related tour package.

The film about a Taiwanese high-school baseball team coming second in Japan’s prestigious national high-school baseball championship at Osaka’s Hanshin Koshien Stadium in 1931 may raise interest in visiting the stadium and boost passenger numbers for TransAsia’s new flights, the firm said.

Meanwhile, Hawaiian Airlines yesterday announced the suspension next month of its Honolulu-Taipei service due to disappointing passenger numbers.

“The increase in travelers we expected when the US’ visa waiver program was extended to additional countries has not materialized in Taiwan and it became evident very quickly that there is insufficient awareness of Hawaii among residents of Taiwan for nonstop service to be successful,” Hawaiian Airlines president Mark Dunkerley said in a statement.

Hawaiian Airlines launched a regular service between Taipei and Honolulu in July last year with three flights per week, aiming for an average passenger load of 85 percent.